Using the hashtag #ForAllHisFlaws, opportunist online comedians have compared the ‘indefensible’ former Cuban leader to Osama Bin Laden, Darth Vadar and James Bond villains after Corbyn appeared to gloss over allegations of Castro’s human rights abuses.

But today some of Corbyn’s closest political peers joined the Labour leader in the praising the communist leader.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told the Murnaghan programme on Sky News that revolutionary Cuba was a “beacon of hope”.

He said: “There are many flaws in the Cuban regime and many criticisms that many people made including ourselves but for my generation if you look back on this, the immense achievement of the Cuban revolution, this was a country that was controlled by effectively a kleptocrat where there was extremes of wealth and poverty, no education, no health service and the land controlled by landlords while peasants literally starved.

“The revolution took place and it redistributed wealth and the land, it introduced an education service and a health service which was second to none in the world in some instances.”

He added: “It was a beacon of hope for many people but, yes of course there were flaws, and you cannot but criticise those – but again in the face of the blockades and the opposition from the US the achievements of the Cuban revolution have to be admired particularly with regard to education, health and redistribution of wealth.”

She said: “I think that Castro was a hugely divisive figure and I think that it’s quite difficult to get beyond the human rights abuses.

“But my own experience, I went to Cuba in the early 1990s when there was great economic difficulties in that country and I found a country that was egalitarian with a fantastic health service, I had my baby with me, we had to go off and see the doctor and we were really struck by it.”

Ex Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has died after a long battle with illness

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